First Airman Named
Statement: 31st January 2005 13.45pm

Officials at the Ministry of Defence would not comment on the claim posted on a website by a group calling itself the Ansar al-Islam - Saad bin Abi Waqqas Brigade.

Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has said "It is with great regret that I can confirm that nine Royal Air Force personnel and one soldier are missing believed killed in yesterday's crash of an RAF C-130 Hercules in Iraq. On behalf of the Ministry of Defence and all the Armed Forces, I should like to extend my deepest sympathies to the families of these servicemen.

Among them was Flight Lieutenant Paul Pardoel, 35, a father of three who has joint British and Australian citizenship. Flt Lt Pardoel formerly served in the Royal Australian Air Force but was serving with the Royal Air Force at the time of his death.